I Was Here
by BubblyShell22
Summary: A Turtle thinks about how he and his family will be remembered once they've left this world.


I Was Here

A/N: Hey, I know it's been a little while, but I thought I'd post this little one shot that came to me after listening to my Glee soundtrack. I've actually created a challenge for myself to take the title of a song from one of my Glee soundtracks, and based on the title alone, create a story around it. So, this is the first of a few of these types of stories that I'm going to do. It's basically a way for me to counter writer's block so that I don't get stuck on something. I really hope you enjoy this little story.

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT or any other related characters. They all belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot of this story.

Summary: A Turtle thinks about how he and his family will be remembered once they are gone from the world.

He sat in a tree overlooking the cemetery. He often came here as a way to relieve the stresses of the day. He enjoyed looking at the people who came here to pay their respects to their loved ones. Some of them looked solemn as they stared at the graves. Others babbled on with the events of the day as if the departed one could hear them. Some just knelt and prayed over the grave while others just sat in silent meditation. He was often fascinated by the way humans reacted to death and how some of them coped with it.

He had once asked April how humans dealt with death. She told him that many humans believed that their departed loved one went to a place called heaven. She explained more about the concept to him and how many humans were determined to get into heaven once they died. He thought it sounded interesting to him that humans believed in such a place. He and his brothers had never been taught about heaven or hell when they were growing up. Splinter had taught them about reincarnation and the afterlife. But what April talked about was very different from what Splinter had taught them about death. The idea was intriguing to him, and he often wondered that if such a place existed if he and his brothers would be allowed there as well. After all, they did so much good for the city. He asked April about that, and she had declared that they would get into heaven because they were such good beings who did good deeds.

He smiled to himself as he remembered the conversation they'd had. Then he snapped out of his thoughts as he watched a young girl enter the cemetery. She was carrying flowers and seemed to be walking with a purpose. She stopped at one of the graves and laid her flowers down.

"Here, Mike, I thought you might like them," she said. "I picked them just for you. I wish you were here with me now. Mommy's still sad that you died, but Daddy told her that you died fighting for our country and that you were a hero. But I wish that you hadn't died, Mike. I miss hearing you laugh. I miss how you used to take me to the park and push me on the swings. I know you're in heaven, but I keep asking God to bring you back to us. It's not time for you to be gone. You need to come back, Mike. We need you here." She bowed her head and silently prayed for a little while. Then she raised her head and looked at the tombstone that bore her brother's name and dates of his birth and death. She stood up and gave the tombstone a kiss before whispering, "Goodbye, Mike. I'll come visit you again soon. I love you." Then she turned and left the cemetery, her heart full of sorrow.

He watched as she left and felt sorry for her. It made him think of his own family and how they would be remembered when they were gone. There would be no tombstone to mark the grave, stating their birth date and their death date. There would be no epitaph that said, "Beloved son, brother, and protector." Splinter's wouldn't say, "Beloved father and teacher." Their graves would be unmarked so that no one would know they were there. Even in death they had to remain a secret. It wasn't fair that they wouldn't be remembered for all the good that they'd done over the years. They would remain forgotten to the city at large, except for those who are their trusted friends. Would his brothers visit his grave like that girl had done? Would they cry and wish for him to come back? Surely they would because they all loved each other. Would they beg Master Yoshi to bring him back like the girl had begged God to bring her brother back?

He didn't really like thinking about any of this. It made him sad to think about leaving his family and what would happen afterwards. It was best to think about the present. With a sigh, he left the cemetery and started to make his way home. Suddenly, he heard a scream that signaled that someone was in danger. His sense on alert, he made his way toward the sound, weapons drawn.

No matter what happened after death, he still had to protect those who were in need whether they remembered him afterwards or not.

A/N: Yeah, I know it's a bit short, but I carried it out as long as I could. I wanted to keep the Turtle's identity a secret so that you guys would have to guess who it is. Any of the four would work for this story as I didn't have a particular Turtle in mind. Although I don't believe in heaven, I would imagine that April would be religious and would explain it to one of the Turtles if they were curious. Please feel free to review and have a shelltastic day.


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